Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
2. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
4. Claims 1, 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li CN-112511114-A (see google translation CN112511114A - Low-noise amplifier with power distribution function - Google Patents)
5. Consider claim 1. Le teaches (fig 1) a distribution circuit comprising: a low noise amplifier (Q1), an input matching (…the input impedance matching network is formed; the transistor one Q1 amplifies the radio frequency power signal of the radio frequency input port RF1 port; the feedback inductor L2 is connected between the emitter of the transistor Q1 and the ground…) circuit that converts an input impedance of a downstream circuit (RF1) and an amplifier circuit that amplifies a wireless signal (…broadband high speed wireless communication…) received from the input matching circuit; and a power splitter (a) including a first output matching circuit (…the output stage one 3 comprises a transistor Q2 and a load resonance network L3, C2, C3; the second transistor Q2 is used for amplifying the radio frequency signal of the node a and then outputting it in the frequency range of RF2 of the radio frequency output port; the load resonance network L3, C2; C3 is provided with good impedance matching at the frequency band of RF2 at the radio frequency output port…) that converts a first load impedance into a first impedance related to a load impedance ZL of the low noise amplifier, and a second output matching circuit (…the output stage two 4 comprises transistor Q3 and load resonant network three L4, C4, C5; the transistor Q3 is used for amplifying the radio frequency signal of the node two b in the frequency range of the radio frequency output port two RF3 and then outputting; the load resonance network L4, C4; C5 is used for realizing good impedance matching in the frequency range of the radio frequency output port RF3…) that converts a second load impedance into a second impedance related to the ZL. Claim 6 adds “reception device” which is clear from the multiband receiver described in the description of Li.
6. Regarding claim 5. Li teaches wherein the first and second output matching circuits each include at least one of an inductive element (l3, l4), a capacitive element (C2, C3, C4, C5).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
7. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
8. Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li CN-112511114-A in view of Maxim et al US 2017/0279416 A1.
9. Regarding claim 7. Li fails to teach his splitter can be used in a transmission device. However, such is known in the art as taught by Maxim (see fig 1) which teaches a transmit/receive structure including an input matching circuit (20), LNA (26) and splitter (40). It would have been obvious, before the effective date to use Li in both a transmission system in order to combine signals prior to transmission.
Claim Objections
10. Claims 2-4 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The prior art of record fails to teach or make obvious the specific circuit elements and interconnections as described in dependent claims 2 and 3. Dependent claim 4 is objected to as allowable since it depends upon claim 3.
11. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Furlow US 5072199 teaches a power splitter (10), including a feedback amplifier (16) and matching network (18), is disclosed for splitting the output of a signal source (12) to be applied to a processing system (14). The feedback amplifier includes a gain stage (20) and active load (22). The gain stage includes a field-effect transistor (FET) (Q1) and feedback components (LF and RF) that provide the amplification required to give the power splitter unity gain. An inductive element (LD) gives the amplifier the desired bandwidth and a dual-gate FET (Q2) is employed as the active load to reduce loading of the gain stage. The matching network includes a plurality of stages (e.g., 24), each of which includes a source follower FET (e.g., Q3) and a single-gate active load FET (e.g., Q4). The resultant power splitter provides the desired equal power, matched phase outputs with suitable isolation and minimal insertion losses.
Behzad et al US 20070207751 A1 teaches A radio receiver is described that processes multiple wireless standards using a single antenna according to embodiments of the invention. The radio receiver includes a single antenna, and a low noise amplifier that is connected to the antenna, without an intervening power divider or power splitter. The output of the low noise amplifier feeds multiple wireless receivers in a parallel arrangement that are operating according to different communications standards, including for example a Bluetooth receiver, and a WLAN 802.11 receiver. Additional wireless standards and their corresponding receivers could be added as well. The input impedance of the low noise amplifier defines the impedance seen by the antenna, regardless of which operational standard is actually in use.
Andrys et al teaches a power splitter that amplifies an input radio-frequency (RF) signal. The power splitter uses a single transistor in a common emitter stage of a cascode amplifier and two or more common base stages of the cascode amplifier to amplify and to split the input RF signal. A common base biasing signal can be used to simultaneously enable two or more of the common base stages to generate two or more amplified RF output signals.
Conclusion
12. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CURTIS A KUNTZ whose telephone number is (571)272-7499. The examiner can normally be reached on M-Th from 530am to 330pm and Fri from 530am to 10am.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew D Anderson, can be reached at telephone number 5712724177. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CURTIS A KUNTZ/Primary examiner, Art Unit 2646
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